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Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 43037

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ofira Ayalon

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Guest Editor

University of Haifa & Samuel Neaman Institute, Technion- Haifa, Israel
Interests: environmental management and policy; waste management and reducing food loss; climate change—adaptation and mitigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The target set by the UN is to halve the per capita global food waste by 2030 at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. Food loss is affecting various aspects of the food supply chain and many aspects of society—producers, growers, retail, hospitality, consumers, and those who experience food poverty.

The aim and scope of this Special Issue is to provide a unique platform for a wide range of professionals, including scholars, researchers, academicians, business, and industry to discuss and present high-quality research linking reduction of food waste to any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the associated 169 targets.

We anticipate that this Special Issue will open new frontiers for further research and technology improvements in this important area.

Prof. Dr. Ofira Ayalon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Sustainable consumption and production
Food security
Reducing food loss and sustainably use of oceans produce
Reducing food loss and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
Resilient and sustainable cities
Food loss and climate action
SDG
regulation and policy.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Conceptual Framework to Analyze Food Loss and Waste within Food Supply Chains: An Operations Management Perspective

by Na Luo, Tava Lennon Olsen and Yanping Liu

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 927; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020927 - 18 Jan 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 11613

Abstract

Alongside the development of the circular economy and sustainable food supply chains (FSCs), research on food loss and waste (FLW) reduction and prevention has drawn much attention from academia, practitioners, and governments. The significance of FLW has been highlighted in the literature due to its impact on society, economy, and the environment. We propose a conceptual framework to systematically examine FLW issues within FSCs in the field of operations management (OM). We discuss various types and distribution modes of FSCs where FLW occurs, definitions of FLW, the impacts of FLW, and measures to reduce FLW in the OM field. We further introduce the methodologies that have been applied in existing FLW studies. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it proposes a conceptual framework to identify FLW problems within FSCs. Second, it helps to comprehensively understand FLW occurrence and thus stimulate research focusing on FLW from different perspectives. Third, it motivates researchers to discuss FLW issues by applying different methodologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

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20 pages, 1591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fish Losses for Whom? A Gendered Assessment of Post-Harvest Losses in the Barotse Floodplain Fishery, Zambia

by Alexander Michael Kaminski, Steven Michael Cole, Robin Elizabeth Al Haddad, Alexander Shula Kefi, Alex Dennis Chilala, Gethings Chisule, Kelvin Ntaswila Mukuka, Catherine Longley, Shwu Jiau Teoh and Ansen Ronald Ward

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10091; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310091 - 03 Dec 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4542

Abstract

Few studies examine post-harvest fish losses using a gender lens or collect sex-disaggregated data. This mixed-methods study assessed fish losses experienced by female and male value chain actors in a fishery in western Zambia to determine who experiences losses, why, and to what extent. Results indicate that participation in the fishery value chain is gendered and most losses occur during post-harvest activities. Discussions with fishers, processors, and traders suggest the value chain is more fluid than often depicted, with people making calculated decisions to sell fresh or dried fish depending on certain conditions, and mostly driven by the need to avoid losses and attain higher prices. The study shows that gender norms shape the rewards and risks offered by the value chain. This could be the reason why a greater proportion of women than men experienced physical losses in our study sample. Female processors lost three times the mass of their fish consignments compared to male processors. Technical constraints (lack of processing technologies) and social constraints (norms and beliefs) create gender gaps in post-harvest losses. Addressing unequal gender relations in value chains, whilst also promoting the use of loss-reducing technologies, could increase fish supply and food security in small-scale fisheries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

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18 pages, 1390 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Why Is Airline Food Always Dreadful? Analysis of Factors Influencing Passengers’ Food Wasting Behaviour

by Fangzhou You, Tracy Bhamra and Debra Lilley

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8571; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208571 - 16 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7699

Abstract

Food waste is emerging as a global issue and has been recognised in the Sustainable Development Goals with a specific target to halve per capita global food waste at consumer levels and reduce food losses by 2030. Research on food waste has been neglected particularly in the aviation sector. The International Air Transport Association reported that 5.7 million tonnes of cabin waste was generated on airlines, up to 80.5% of which was leftover food and beverages. The exploration of passengers’ food wasting aims to provide insights for tackling the airline food waste problem. To address this issue, this research investigated the in-flight catering experience of 19 passengers from 21 full-service flights. Qualitative research techniques have been applied to analyse passengers’ food-wasting behaviour by collecting participant-produced photographs and completed questionnaires concerning food-related behaviour. This research identified key factors associated with passengers’ food wasting behaviour by adopting Design for Sustainable Behaviour approaches. Four types of factors were found to influence onboard passenger waste, these were normative, habitual, intentional and situational factors. This research indicates that behavioural change interventions need to incorporate the power of social norms to prevent food waste. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

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9 pages, 205 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Justice, Food Loss, and the Sustainable Development Goals in the Era of COVID-19

by Janet Fleetwood

Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 5027; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125027 - 19 Jun 2020

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 10128

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rest on a set of broadly accepted values within a human rights framework. The SDGs seek to improve human lives, improve the planet, and foster prosperity. This paper examines the human rights framework and the principles of social justice and shows that, while the SDGs do not specifically state that there is human right to food, the SDGs do envision a better, more just, world which rests upon the sufficiency of the global food supply, on environmental sustainability, and on food security for all. Then the paper examines the interrelationships between the SDGs, food access and waste, and human rights within a framework of social justice. Finally, it looks at the potential pandemic of hunger wrought by COVID-19, showing that COVID-19 serves as an example of a crisis that has raised unprecedented challenges to food loss and waste in the global food supply system and tests our commitment to the principles espoused by the SDGs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

15 pages, 920 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Life Cycle Analysis in the Framework of Agricultural Strategic Development Planning in the Balkan Region

by Michail Tsangas, Ifigeneia Gavriel, Maria Doula, Flouris Xeni and Antonis A. Zorpas

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 1813; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051813 - 28 Feb 2020

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 4194

Abstract

Agricultural sector should be considered, as one of the main economic development sectors in the entire world, while at the same time is responsible for important pollution. The life cycle assessment (LCA) procedure was involved in the agricultural strategic development planning for Balkan region, as a useful tool to identify and quantify potential environmental impacts from the production of apple juice, wine and pepper pesto in three selected sites in Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. These three products were chosen, as are considered as the main economic activities at the areas. The LCA approach covered the entire production line of each product. Based on the LCA results, which comprise the size of six impact categories characterization factors, suggestions were made in order to minimize the footprint of the apples orchard, vineyard and pepper cultivation plots as well as of the production processes of apple juice, wine and pepper pesto as final distribution products. The results indicate that changes in the cultivation and the production must be considered in order to optimize the environmental footprint. Moreover, the whole approach could be useful for agricultural stakeholders, policy makers and producers, in order to improve their products ecological performance, reduce food loss and food waste and increase the productivity of the agricultural sector, while at the same time can improve the three pillars of sustainability through strategy development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

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19 pages, 1117 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage

by Efrat Elimelech, Eyal Ert and Ofira Ayalon

Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205677 - 14 Oct 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 4159

Abstract

Understanding households’ food waste drivers is crucial for forming a coherent policy to meet the sustainable development goals. However, current studies have documented mixed evidence regarding food waste determinants. Most studies have relied on self-reports, assuming they reflect actual behaviors. This study applies a structural equation model that evaluates both self-reported and measured food wastage, and how they are affected by different households’ attributes, attitudes, and behaviors. As such, it also provides a test for the underlying logic that self-reports are a proxy for actual food waste. Results show that measured food wastage is, at best, weakly correlated with self-reports. Moreover, drivers affecting self-reported and measured food wastage are not necessarily the same. Household size affects only measured food wastage. Source separation behavior negatively affects self-reported and measured food wastage, while environmental attitudes have a negative effect only on self-reports. Meal planning, unplanned shopping, and food purchased have no impact on self-reported and measured food wastage. The relation between self-reported and actual food waste and their drivers are even less understood than we thought. The distinction between self-reports and actual waste is crucial for follow-up research on this subject as well as assessing policy measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meeting Sustainable Development Goals by Reducing Food Loss)

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